To all of you who are eager to see a new side of yourself complete with real change, one that has an easier time, I offer this encouragement:
“The beauty of nature insists on taking its time. Everything is prepared. Nothing is rushed. The rhythm of emergence is a gradual slow beat always inching its way forward; change remains faithful to itself until the new unfolds in the full confidence of true arrival. Because nothing is abrupt, the beginning of spring nearly always catches us unawares. It is there before we see it; and then when we can look nowhere without seeing it.”
-from “To Bless by Space Between Us” by John O Donohue
This poetry’s answer to, “When will I see the change?” is much more eloquent than my usual answer to frustrated and critical seekers.
Normally I softly talk about how much time it took to establish that which you want to go away, or get better. We look at how much support there is for the change. Who in your life is and is NOT encouraging. What about your motivation? I mention practice, and patience; timing and general good luck. You’d hear me remind you that it’s a process, and not a destination.
These questions, inspired by O’Donohue might guide your wondering about when results may be obvious, or at least glimmering ahead in the distance.
- What changes am I standing in right now?
- At this time in my life, what am I leaving? (That’s exactly the question O’Donohue offers in his Thresholds chapter.)
- What is preventing me from making a change?
While all of this may guide and inspire moving in another direction, I find great comfort in pausing to put my attention back on the natural world. For a moment, when keeping all of the above in mind, it feels reassuring to let this line be completely true:
“Change remains faithful to itself until the new unfolds in the full confidence of true arrival.”